Airlines may know more about you than you think

While the safety of personal data online is top of mind this week, with a huge data leak affecting 73m customers of the US’s largest telephone service provider, a recent in-depth analysis by a portal specialising in online security reveals just how easily airlines can access some of their passengers' most personal data. And that's in addition to the passport numbers and biometric data they already have on file. Many seasoned travellers who book their plane tickets online often wonder if using their personal computer is really the best option, concerned that airlines will increase fares after tracking the IP address, as a passenger repeats their flight search. But using your smartphone isn't a better option, considering the access to data that carriers have, according to a detailed analysis published by Cybernews. And that's in addition to the passport number, health information and biometric data that these companies often already have access to. Geolocation, access to the camera and all the information it contains, microphones, address books, SMS messages, data storage and collection – airlines can access reams of various types of private and essential information, which tells a great deal about any particular traveller, according to this study. For this study, authors looked at 14 carriers who have an Android-compatible booking app, including AirAsia, Turkish Airlines, Ryanair, United Airlines, Aegean Airlines and Vietnam Airlines. According to the study, the US-based carriers United and American Airlines are the most data-hungry, collecting the most information, while Philippine Airlines collected the least out of the 14. Moreover, carriers don't just access this private information, they also share it with third parties, according to Cybernews.<br/>